The Music Of Peaky Blinders

Posted By : Thomas Christie

Dec 22, 2017

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Before we start this article, its fair to say that those of you who are yet to watch Peaky Blinders, should either start immediately or be banished to the same realms as those who haven't seen Breaking Bad.

For a series set in the dark and dirty streets of Birmingham's Small Heath, it needs an equally grimy playlist to go along with it. So in this week's blog post we're going to look at what makes a Peaky Blinders song

An epic gangster saga, centred around the fortunes of the Shelby family in Birmingham, Peaky Blinders is one of the sharpest, best-written and most enthralling drama series ever seen on British television. Laced with copious amounts of sex, drugs and brutal violence, it also features the finest soundtrack ever to grace a BBC production. .

The first sounds you hear in the first episode of Season 1, the lyrics blend so perfectly with the series that you would think it was written for it. Co-writer Mick Harvey said: "It’s a song that has fairly humble beginnings. The song is about a man who is part demon part God who stalks the land scaring and impressing wherever he goes, but no one knows who the idea is based on - although the description sort of fits with Peaky leader Tommy Shelby.

Although this song has been explained by Thom Yorke as being about disillusionment with the government, it works equally well as a “don’t fuck with us” statement for the Peaky Blinders, with lyrics like “Come on if you think you can take us on”.

Bearing the influence of their friends Queens of the Stone Age, this cut from the Monkeys’ 2013 album AM plays over a ‘the story so far’ recap montage at the opening of an episode which sees the Shelby family extend their operations into London.